Pursing with and for Sew Powerful

Most of the purses I put on this blog or on my Instagram are finished.  But several of these I have left unfinished.  To the left is a completed purse and then another one whose body must be turned inside out, whose straps need attaching, and whose body need to be assembled with the lining.  Have I mentioned this purse pattern has 11 pieces?  That seems daunting until you realize that many of the pieces are the same size.  Also, this pattern is the beginning pattern, which does not have the side gussets or the little elastic pocket on the flap.  Those were the only ones I did at first - until I discovered this "easier" pattern.

 

This red purse features the same flap fabric as the green ones above.  But the body and strap are obviously different.  Again, I've left one of these unassembled for demonstration purposes.  A neighboring quilt guild is considering making Sew Powerful their charity next year, and my goal is to give a pretty clear look at what goes into a Sew Powerful purse.

These two purses started with this Southwestern fabric on the flap  - I had just a little bit left.  But what I had a ton of was the teal floral.  The unfinished purse isn't even assembled.  I left the front body separate from the back which has the flap.  My brain needs to visualize the parts, which was difficult to do with the first purses I made back in 2016 - I didn't have a finished purse in front of me.

With still more of the teal floral fabric, I found another Southwestern sort of fabric with the Kokopelli figures on it.  I have no idea whether these figures will intrigue or scare young girls from Zambia.  There is also a purse here which doesn't belong.  It has a blue body and a flap with encouraging comments on it.  I had just a bit of this fabric (it's been a favorite but I've used it all up). The back of the flap is pieced from scraps.  I want to show that almost any fabrics can be combined for these purses!  I like to work with the same colors for a while and then have thread in my machines to match.

Meanwhile I found these fabrics which I've used before for purses.  These fabrics and colors are African, aren't they?  In fact, the fabric with the yellow dots is one that I bought in Kenya.  I have the right shade of red for the body, and straps will be made from the red/orange/green fabric.  

The Sew Powerful FaceBook group is growing by the day. Missouri Star, a quilt shop which often does terrific videos, featured Sew Powerful purses on their website. And have quilters ever responded!  Sew Powerful's efforts have spread beyond the capital of Zambia, Lusaka, to Livingston, the city at the base of Victorial Falls.  Sewing cooperative, soap cooperative, farming cooperative.  Results are visible.  I'm eager to get my next batch of purses in the mail!

ADHD sewing

 

So many unfinished projects, both in the house and in the studio.  There is an underlying sense of not quite being able to settle down and focus.  On anything.  But slowly the house projects are being finished - kitchen lighting - check. New dining room table - check.  Soaker tub removed - check.  Closet being built - almost there.  What has made everything tolerable is that our contractor works very very neat and is easy to absorb into our daily lives.  For a while I thought I’d have to move my studio out to the dining room, but that just hasn’t been necessary.  So I’ve been able to start projects, sew with abandon, and not give thought to finishing anything. 

The new dining room table?  It's 62" round.  But with one leaf it's 62" x 80" oval.  Perfect for a table runner I saw on Instagram by @tygeroting.  Everything they do catches my eye.  I like the design, the fabrics, and the quilting.  And since imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I'm trying hard to capture the feel of this runner.  Here's what I have so far:

Most of these fabrics are ones given to my by some of my special quilty friends, namely Melissa and Sarah S.  Ive been saving them until I figured out what I want to do with them.  Quilty Lynn send me some "bone" fabric when I was doing the broken bone thing in 2020.  And of course a little bit of Zen Chic's punctuation fabric has to be included.  If I named quilt runners, I would have to call this one "I get by with a little help from my friends." Since I am going to be doing some hand quilting on this runner, I need to wait until I have some wool batting.  Which leads me into my next unfinished project.

I loved how Natalie's graduation quilt turned out, and I still have more of that wonderful fabric line "Wordsmith" by Janet Clare.  So I whipped up another "Trip Around the World" with these fabrics. Grandson Sam had one of the first ones, Natalie has one, and I am not sure who this one will go to.  But the backing is there and ready.  So is my final roll of queen-size wool batting.  If I ever clear off my tables, I will then be able to pin-baste and get this ready for hand-quilting, but not until the fall.  

Speaking of Janet Clare, who designs for Moda Fabrics, a recent line of hers is Geometry.  I like what she does, so I bought a couple of charm packs (5" squares featuring the entire collection).  In a moment of insanity I started a project.  I don't know what it's going to be and literally just played around.  It became obvious that I need greens, so I put away what I was doing and ordered 4 greens.  And here they sit.  I'm pretty sure I'm making 8" blocks that I will put on point.  But I have a feeling this isn't going to happen for a while.  

 

And always I think about Sew Powerful purses.  Usually I act as well.  But after sending off that last box of 20, I've been slow to restart.  So far I know I have these fabrics for 2 flaps, and there are straps. I have fabrics set out - it's just a matter of focusing and assembling.  My goal is to make some purses and leave them a various stages of completion.  A fellow guild mate is interested in setting up a workshop of sorts, and these step-outs would be useful!  But onto the project that I am currently in love with...

This last project features five fabrics from a e.bond's Glyphs fabric collection, which I found at Crimson Tate.  The absence of colors as well as the designs appeal to me.  And I'm always in search of a summer quilting project, meaning something small that I can work on without getting hot!  I've cut five 10.5" squares from each of the fabrics, and I'm setting them using the Attic Windows design.  I had enough leftover wool batting for thirty 12.5" blocks and I found enough neutral Art Gallery fabrics for the backs of these 30 blocks.  Although each block will need some hand quilting, it must not take away from the wonderful fabrics but yet must unify the six fabrics.  I love the simplicity and sparseness of the spiral design.  These 30 blocks will make a quilt that is 60" x 72".  It is a Quilt As You Go sort of project, one that I've done several times.  Look at the entry from December 7, 2021, my Broken Wrist Quilt.  I sometimes call this method of quilting reversible quilting, and I learned it from Sharon Pederson's books on Reversible Quilting.  It's not easier or faster than regular quilting - it's just a different way of approaching quilting.  

I think as the house projects draw to a close, some of these projects will also find their way to the finish line!